The inventiveness of the homebrew scene never ceases to amaze us. Take for instance the above video. What you see in it is, in fact, GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64 running on a Wii with the "Homebrew Channel" installed.
The poster of the video states that he was able to get the game ROM working with the emulator used by the Virtual Console version of Sin & Punishment. He gives no details on how he managed the feat, mentioning only that the game works "for the most part" with occasional slowdown and a broken borked save system.
Hopefully Nintendo will see this video and, rather than simply order it pulled offline, realize just how much people really want a proper Virtual Console release of the game.
All you Nerds worried about wasting Mounds of time waiting for Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise should stop being such Airheads. The anticipated sequel will be Star-bursting onto the scene on Sept. 2 in North and Latin America and Sept. 5 in Europe and the UK. That leaves plenty of Paydays for you Smarties to save up the $59.99 you need to buy it. That's not a Whopper of a price ... much less than the 100 Grands it would take to travel to ... Whatchamacallit ... Mars.
Silicon Knights' long-awaited Xbox 360 action game Too Human is giving a shout out to a N64 classic, according to Wired. GoldenEye 007, the groundbreaking console FPS developed by Rare, featured a gun called the "KLOBB" – a nod to then Nintendo designer Ken Lobb, who helped out during the game's development. The gun was also the weakest in the game. D'oh!
Too Human promises hundreds of items ... and one of them, as Wired has uncovered, is the KLOBB. Not surprising considering that Ken Lobb is now serving as Creative Director at Microsoft Game Studios and is working closely with Silicon Knights on its game. For the record, it has a damage rating of 18.
EGM rumor-monger Quartermann has once more turned the spotlight on speculation that we've been hearing for ages that Rare is keen on developing a third entry in its combo-heavy fighting game franchise Killer Instinct. Never mind that Rare itself has denied such rumors in the past, because honestly that's exactly what we'd say if we were working on a top secret project too.
Going by the mouthful Killer Instinct 3D: Death, Destruction and Doom, the rumored Xbox 360 fighter is said to axe the previous titles' rendered graphics and button mashing in favor of 3D visuals and more robust gameplay. Still, it remains to be seen if this latest attempt rekindle interest in Killer Instinct will pan out, or if once again it will do an Ultra Combo to our heart.
Don't expect to find these Viva Piñata cards in stores; this guy above is just a mockup, made specially for the folks at Microsoft's Spring Showcase yesterday. Hold it up to the camera and Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise will process that barcode on the right side, plopping the character into your game.
The feature, while impressive (and early), was temperamental in our demo; however, when working correctly, it will let users share their piñatas by creating a card through the game's website. The camera is surface agnostic so you can print the card out, or stick the image on a forum, save it on your iPod, or just email it to your entire address book (that always goes over well). Check out a shot of the process in action after the break.
In case you missed it, check out the Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts trailer one more time. Watch closely, especially at the 1:45 mark. Yep, that's an 8-bit Mario in all his planar glory, as both a testament to the user-generated nature of the game as well as we suspect a not-so-subtle nod to their former publishing partner.
Curious to see what sort of "trouble" is brewing in Viva Piñata's candy-colored paradise? The six screenshots Microsoft released this morning don't offer many clues (Graveyards? Volcanoes? Evil tiki guys?) but should be enough to whet your appetite if you're eager to get back to Piñata Island.
Microsoft's embargoes are finally up and, well, there's not much we didn't already know. Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise – the sequel to the "sleeper hit" – now has a release date of "September" as well as some new details, including a "Just for Fun" setting that makes it easier to hop right in, a new co-op setting, as well as a unique use of the Xbox Live Vision cam.
VP: TIP incorporates cameras in two unique ways. Looking out: you'll be able to use the Xbox Live Vision camera to take pictures of physical cards (think Eye of Judgment), unlocking new pinatas, building, or abilities (Rare apparently created a moose whose nose gets red only around Christmas time). Looking in: You'll be able to use your own digital camera to take a picture of your creations to share with friends over email, in a forum, wherever. While Microsoft isn't sure if they'll be releasing packs on their own, think of this feature as your own card generator; forget those pricey little packs. Anyone with a Vision Cam can snap a pic of your "card" and unlock it for themselves.
We'll bring you our impressions when we get a look at the game later today.
Gallery: Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise
Read – Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise press release Read – Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise Preview Read – NeoGAF VP2 camera info
You've seen the leaked Xbox 360 screenshots of his next awesomely alliterative adventure, but perhaps you weren't quite sure what the bear with a bird in his backpack was doing in any of them. According to numerous online reports (here's one and here's another), Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts sees the eponymous creature exploring "Showdown Town" and collecting parts to assemble all manner of physics-based, LEGO-like vehicles. The game's vehicle editor is said to be accessible at any point, meaning that the last thingamabob you picked up (one of 1,600) might just have a use in, say, a helicopter. Or a hovercraft.
The unconfirmed word (we're just waiting for Microsoft to officially blast out all this info at its Gamer's Day today)confirmed word is that we'll get to be the bear with a bird in a backpack building a bulldozer this November. Be sure to spy the game's debut trailer after the break.
Gallery: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
Read -- Official announcement Read -- Kombo.com Read -- NeoGAF, who else? Read -- More on vehicle construction
When we said that Microsoft was springing some serious pre-Gamer's Day leaks, we meant it. While NeoGAF members were getting the skinny on Viva Piñata and Scene It? sequels, they also tracked down a backpack-ful of new screens for Banjo-Kazooie 3, Rare's adorable action platformer. We've put the whole mess of them below for your enjoyment.
The Joystiq hive mind is split on BK as a series, but even the doubters among us have to admit that these screenshots look ... well, they look magical, OK? There, we said it. They look like magical fun. Are you happy now?
Yeesh, the good ship Microsoft has had so many leaks we'll be shocked if it can even stay afloat for tomorrow's Gamer's Day event being held in San Francisco. While doing some pre-briefing site combing, one intrepid NeoGAF user discovered confirmation to sequels for Viva Piñata(sub-titled Trouble in Paradise) and Scene It?. Can you guess which one we're more excited about?
What's more, the NeoGAFfers even dug up some screenshots from the game for you to enjoy. Just do us a favor and look surprised tomorrow. We don't want to hurt Jeff Bell's feelings.
We all had our hearts warmed last year when we heard of David Rosowski's delightful approach to nuptial queries -- the young man proposed to his girlfriend Jenn by sending her a diamond and question-popping note in Viva Piñata, immediately following up with a bended knee and a real-life rock. Nearly seven months later, their wedding day has come, and after trading vows upon a cruise ship, the two will chow down on a matrimonial pastry topped with a Horstachio and a veiled Pretztail (two of the game's more recognizable papier-mâché critters).
You can watch their big day unfold on David's YouTube channel, if you have nothing better to do this Saturday morning. We here at Joystiq HQ won't be in virtual attendance, but we'd still like to wish David and Jenn a long and happy marriage, full of fulfilled romance requirements and bushels of joy candy.
Rare says many of its fans suspected a recent teaser site for the 360 version of Banjo Kazooiewas actually just an elaborate April Fools' Day prank (it wasn't). But, to placate the legion, the company offered up some 4-1 plots for their game, all but one of which may be a complete fabrication.
The red herrings include B & K hunting the "witch's giant T.I.T", Banjo and Grunty falling in love (our personal favorite) but we'd be more likely to believe Kazooie being abducted by aliens. Which on the list are you leaning towards?
Well, we just got tricked into downloading Silverlight. That's about all the information we were able to glean from a recently-launched teaser site for the upcoming Xbox 360 version of Banjo Kazooie. Once you download Silverlight, all you get is a spinning puzzle piece, a picture of a bear and the knowledge that you just helped Microsoft propagate their Flash competitor. Ilovebees, it is not.
For your surfing pleasure, we've posted the entirety of the site's content above, though we hope that will soon be replaced by pictures, videos and other information from the game, no matter how we may feel about the concept.
We're on the fence as to whether or not the upcoming issue of Xbox World 360 Magazine does indeed have legitimate details about the supposedly-canceledGoldeneye 007 remake for Xbox Live Arcade. On the one hand, CVG claims the issue features four pages of details about the unfinished project, with numerous screenshots and comments from Microsoft.
On the other hand, Eurogamer reportedly spoke with Microsoft Game Studios, who claim that Xbox World 360's look at the Goldeneye game is based entirely on rumors and speculation, with no participation from Microsoft in the story.
Both these sources seem entirely at odds with each other, and only seem to agree upon the fact that this game definitely isn't coming out. Our shiny optimistic side wants us to believe in the (heavily watermarked) screenshots and details, but the reality is it's probably all speculation masquerading as fact (not unlike GamePro's Gears of War 2 "coverage"). Hopefully once the issue hits stands we'll have a few more answers.
Read - GoldenEye XBLA: Go inside the game [CVG] Read - MS rubbishes GoldenEye XBLA talk [Eurogamer]
